Miracle Control

[Shawn]

I've been playing 2x Timely in the board and I really like them. It's very nice against random aggro decks.

On the topic of the clock: while I don't have a problem with it, these are some things that have helped me play faster: playtesting, so I know what to do in certain situations with Tops, Jaces, Brainstorms, etc, and adjusting how I handle my cards mechanically. when you Top, pick up three cards at a time from your library, not take the first card, put it in your hand, take the second card and put it in your hand, take the third card and put it in your hand. If you Brainstorm on their turn, look at the first card in case it's a miracle, then take the next two off your library in one motion. I've seen people take the cards one at a time and it makes their Top/BS/TMS activations take twice as long as it should. Make sure your opponent can see clearly your are taking the right amount when you take them all at once to avoid confusion. Here are some other good tips:

An Easy Way to Play Faster (yes, it is Tom Lapille, but there is good info in it)

Also, you need to know when to get your opponent to play faster, especially if it is a control mirror. If you play at a brisk pace throughout all of your matches and your opponents aren't slow playing, you should be fine.

[Guy I Don't Know]

I have been debating on how to go about playing this deck because a lot of information can be given [away] playing this deck fast. I have a few scenarios so let me know what you think about them.

A) Fast: Drawing a land and putting directly into play. slow: draw land, shuffle shuffle shuffle it between other cards, put land in play.

B) Fast: Look at top and put third card down on top. slow: Look at top, shuffle shuffle shuffle, resulting in third card on top.

C) Fast: look at top and put back like it was. Slow: Look at top and shuffle shuffle shuffle back to original order.

D) Same thing with Brainstorm and Jace, do you shuffle your hand before putting back.

Also how do you handle sideboarding, do you tell opponent it is 15:00 in the round and you have until 18:00 to present your deck, not say anything at all and if he takes too long call a judge, or when he has about 30 secs left tell him you need to present your deck now.

How do you shuffle after searching your deck? I would think seven side shuffles is enough and seven from your opponent... Can you call a judge for shuffling your deck for too long? What is the minimum you need to do have it randomized

How do you shuffle in between games?

I can't remember the last time I called a judge for the opponent taking too long to sb, what is the infraction and the result?

A helpful tip, write down how you sideboard to save some time.(you can look between rounds at notes correct?-- I still feel guilty doing this )

The biggest time eater of all is looking at top card to see if it is a miracle! What is the best way to do that?!?

[Valtrix]

Something that helps me the most is actually typing up all of my sideboarding plans. I go through every matchup and type what I'll take out and what I'll side in. This helps in two ways.

First, I make sure that my sideboard is doing exactly what I want. Occasionally you might get really up in arms and have to win a matchup, so you say, "Yeah I hate Merfolk! Let's play 10 creature removal in the board!" but then when you come up with a sideboard plan you realize that you're not actually making great swaps for the last 7-10 cards. Maybe you do want that much hate or maybe you don't, but this helps a lot in tuning the maindeck and sideboard to make sure it beats the matches you want.

Second, it saves a lot of time. When you've gone over your sideboard plans for every match 3 times (and shared it with somebody), you can sideboard very quickly. Just think of all the times when you're not prepared--Maybe you run into a matchup you didn't expect, or somebody is playing a variation on a known deck--these games always take a lot longer to sideboard. If you prepare ahead of time, you can help negate this effect as much as possible.

[Teknique]

@Guy I Don't Know

A) I will almost always put lands directly into play off top for 2 reasons (even with lands in hand). It's faster, and it looks like the other 2 cards + any cards in your hand are business. The only time that changes are when I need to play fetch lands.

B, C, D) Unless my opponent knows what's on top of your library, just do the fastest thing possible because you really aren't giving away information in the way you top. The only time I care how my topping/bsing looks is with CB out (I'm talking about when topping NOT in response to them casting something), but then it's mainly poker to try to get your opponent to guess what you put back on top.

As for sideboarding, I haven't run into problems with slow sideboarders, I guess I'm lucky. I would likely call a judge at a competitive event if sb time goes over though.

After shuffling, I perform side shuffles, very quickly. I have had opponents that take forever to shuffle, usually I ask them to speed it up and there are no more problems.

Between games I do more thorough shuffling, and a lot of it, but still at a fast pace obviously.

Addressing the miracle peek. I don't look at the top card while its on my library, typically I hold my entire hand in the left hand as I draw with my right and look as I draw it, putting it on the table if it's a miracle I want to cast.

[Shawn]

If there is time, I do a quick shuffle after drawing my card so they can't follow the cards in my hand and see if I drew a land or had it. If you have to play turbo fast to finish, some of these things need to be skipped, of course. With Tops activations, I set my hand down and grab the three cards close together and shuffle the cards before looking at them, then put them back on top. The shuffle motion should only take about a second, so it's definitely worth doing to prevent from giving away information.

In between games, I always pile and side shuffle. As far as clock goes, I like to find my seat early so I can see the clock; that way if they are taking too long to do something you have an exact time, not just "it felt like he was taking too long".


Sideboard notes are fine as long as they are used in between games, never during. They are very helpful and I would recommend using them, that way you don't have to worry about what your plans were and waste mental stamina trying to think.

[Julian23]

The biggest time eater of all is looking at top card to see if it is a miracle! What is the best way to do that?!?

Really? It takes like 0.5 extra at max. Instead of sliding it into your hand, you rotate it a little bit to be able to look at it while sliding it. I've got my cards in my left hand and draw with my right, lifting it from my library, then sliding it into my hand. While making that transfer, I don't slide it across the table like I used to do before Miracle was a thing. Instead, I'm lifting it from my deck, the put it into my hand. While doing so, I rotate it so it faces my direction.

I don't think you need to actually practice this. What's more important is to make up your mind beforehand whether you would want to cast a Miracle in case you were to draw it on your next draw step. Thus you give away less information because you don't have to hesitate when accidentally drawing it. On the other hand, you might of course be bluffing, who knows

[Tammit67]

Wasteland is not a mana denial card in this deck. It serves it's function versus utility lands of the opponent.

Preaching to the Choir, brother

I don't think you need to actually practice this. What's more important is to make up your mind beforehand whether you would want to cast a Miracle in case you were to draw it on your next draw step. Thus you give away less information because you don't have to hesitate when accidentally drawing it. On the other hand, you might of course be bluffing, who knows

Eliminating your tells and honing in on your opponents is probably the best way to get better at this game without actually learning the interactions. Some local players CLEARLY have miracle cards in their decks. You can just tell by the way they amateur-ly look at cards they draw. Or rearrange their Gy after drawing snapcaster. Learn to react the same whether you have it or not.
There is a group card game out there called The Resistance. For those who have played Werewolves, its similar without as many roles. Pick it up if you can and play with a group of friends, you really get to see how differently people react to what cards they have. You really can cut down on the information you are unconsciously leaking by playing games that require you to bluff and emit controled reactions

[Guy I Don't Know]

I just thought of a way to conceal SCM, marking your life pad with ticks of the spells in your graveyard.

- means Spell Pierce
l means Counterspell
/ means Swords to Plowshares
\ means brainstorm

That way whenever you use your pad you are reminded of what is in your graveyard and don't have to look at it!

[klaus]

I just thought of a way to conceal SCM, marking your life pad with ticks of the spells in your graveyard.
- means Spell Pierce
l means Counterspell
/ means Swords to Plowshares
\ means brainstorm
That way whenever you use your pad you are reminded of what is in your graveyard and don't have to look at it!

Nice tech! I hate to look through my gy and "reveal" my SCM.

Edit: Looking through your gy, when you're not holding SCM could be a useful bluff at times

[Valtrix]

I mean, I always just lay my GY out so it's easy to check the whole graveyard at a glance.

[Tammit67]

I mean, I always just lay my GY out so it's easy to check the whole graveyard at a glance.

Right? Looks professional too

[mike1987]

What are some of the good SB options for merfolk? Been getting whipped by fishes these days after casual playtesting. I would usually side out all the counterbalances, some FOWs for peacekeepers, disenchants and pyroblasts.

[TarmoX]

I having problems with Goblins and their new tool cavern of soul!
I'm testing with 2 Humility of my SB and games are winnable but very long and boring.......... red splash to adding Pyroclasm open me to Wasteland and Timely Reinforcemets is too narrow.
Someone can tell me a remedy that is not a very expensive Moat???

[Maëlig]

What are some of the good SB options for merfolk? Been getting whipped by fishes these days after casual playtesting. I would usually side out all the counterbalances, some FOWs for peacekeepers, disenchants and pyroblasts.

Density of removal is key in this MU. Post-board I have 4 terminus, 3 SCM, 4 StP, 2 o ring, 2 PtE and 3 REB, which is more than the number of lords they're playing. Also if you can set up SCM + flashback removal + block on a double lord attack it's a real blowout.

[Guy I Don't Know]

What are some of the good SB options for merfolk? Been getting whipped by fishes these days after casual playtesting. I would usually side out all the counterbalances, some FOWs for peacekeepers, disenchants and pyroblasts.

Your sideboard should definitely be able to beat them depending on how many of your sideboard cards you side in. I will tell you what I do and hopefully that helps. First of all, side out all of your counter magic, after you have zero FOWs, counterspells, spell pierces, and spell snares, then start siding out counterbalance. I side in 2 path 1 term 3 needle 2 engineered explosives 1 clique. You have some functionally similar cards.
Path-->pyroblast
Needle-->Disenchant
you also have peacekeeper so that is an added bonus. The number of Snapcastermages and terminus in the main can help as well.

[Tinefol]

I having problems with Goblins and their new tool cavern of soul!
I'm testing with 2 Humility of my SB and games are winnable but very long and boring.......... red splash to adding Pyroclasm open me to Wasteland and Timely Reinforcemets is too narrow.
Someone can tell me a remedy that is not a very expensive Moat???

Elesh Norn. Either hardcast it, or run Gifts/Unburial Rites or Intuition/Gigapede/Unburial Rites package

[mike1987]

I was trying out the esper miracles with discard in the side till i met merfolk and totally got creamed. Hence i am splashing red, instead of black for REBs and pyroblasts which will be more favourable for us postboard.

[Koby]

I'm kind of stumped why you're having problems against Goblins. This is one of our easiest matchups. Take some lumps and setup Miracle, then wipe their team when it gets too big. StP cleans up afterwards, then Jace fate-seal the rest of the game. I've also run Pyroclasm in the SB as a one-of and that's a good bridge between setting up Terminus.

[Guy I Don't Know]

I have had problems with the mirror, any way to get above 50-50? It seems first turn top just wins it. Would you force of will that sucker?

[Kl'rt]

I'm kind of stumped why you're having problems against Goblins. This is one of our easiest matchups. Take some lumps and setup Miracle, then wipe their team when it gets too big. StP cleans up afterwards, then Jace fate-seal the rest of the game. I've also run Pyroclasm in the SB as a one-of and that's a good bridge between setting up Terminus.

Koby, are you being serious?

If you guys think goblins is a good matchup, then one of the following is happening:

1. You've never played it.
2. Your playtest partner has no idea what he's doing.

My experience and playtesting puts the matchup in a similar range as Lands vs. High Tide, or Zoo vs. Belcher. UW Miracles vs. Goblins is one the most lopsided matchups I have ever seen in this format. \\

The only strategy we could come up with that had any real traction was jamming enough Moats to ensure we drew it. We eventually decided to just dodge it.

Malakai is absolutely right!

Goblins is by far my worst matchup. When we first playtested, i was winning almost all my matches but by now, it's like 65/35 in their favor. Unlike against other aggro decks, Terminus isn't the gameplan. It's just a temporary tactic to get some breathing room; if you can't stop Vial from sticking it even fails at that since they Vial in anything at end of turn and continue the beats.

When you Terminus any aggro deck on turn5, they have 2 cards left in hand. When you Terminus Goblins on turn5, they have 5-6 cards left. The only thing I try doing right now is try to survive long enough until I can End-of-Turn Entreat the Angels for lethal. Still, it's a losing battle in the long run.

And from Max Sjoblom's GP Ghent Top 8 report: http://www.gatheringmagic.com/maxsjo...rt-1-the-deck/
"Among the currently popular other decks, the only really bad matchup is Goblins,..."

http://www.gatheringmagic.com/maxsjo...he-tournament/
"When my opponent played a turn-one Skirk Prospector, I felt that I was in trouble. Goblins is the worst matchup for this deck, as I discussed in the strategy article."


Maybe you're a better Miracle player than these other guys. If you're right, then this deck has virtually no bad matchups, and there'd be no reason to play any other deck but this one.